Pedal mounted signal light

ABSTRACT

A translucent casing adapted to replace the outer end plate of a conventional bicycle pedal and having batteries, lights and a gravity actuated switch therein. The casing is preferably red in color, to glow when the lights are on. The switch is actuated by merely inverting the pedal on its customary spindle and a cam on that spindle causes the lights to blink. Exterior connections on the casing permit recharging the batteries while they remain in the casing.

United States Patent [191 MacMahon Oct. 9, 1973 PEDAL MOUNTED SIGNALLIGHT 2,185,600 1/1940 McComb 240/755 [75] Inventor: Paul H. MacMahon,Arlington, Va.

[73] Assignees: David H. Williams, Jr.; Kenneth V. Primary Examiner-JohnW. Caldwell Curry, bOth Of Hanover, 1 3-; lthlll AssistantExaminer-Kenneth N. Leimer A. Kimball, Arlington, Va.; Donald AttrneyBac0n & Thomas L. Shephard, Delray Beach, Fla.; part interest toeach [22] Filed: June 14, 1971 [57] ABSTRACT [2!] Appl. No.: 152,991

Related U.S. Application Data A translucent casing adapted to replacethe outer end [63] Continuation of Ser. No. 771,475, Oct. 29, 1968,Plate of a Conventional y Pedal and having abandoned. teries, lights anda gravity actuated switch therein. The casing is preferably red incolor, to glow when the [52] US. Cl 340/87, 240/755, 340/81 R, lightsare on. The switch is actuated by merely invert- 340/l34, 340/321 ingthe pedal on its customary spindle and a cam on [51] Int. Cl B62j 5/00tha pin le cau es the lights to blink Exterior con- 5 Field of Search n340,134 240/755 nections on the casing permit recharging the batteries swhile they remain in the casing.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Claims, 8 Drawing Figures2,732,540 1/1956 MacMahon 340/87 u lllllllll llllll ll l m- 46 u l 54 VHhr \y, 1 1 1' 62* 6642 '6 6 6 l) 7 k ll 2 7a- 4 1 x I 24 I 1 I :g 721,,"t'f 5; h I 66 6 ,0 5 74 5 6 i I 54 I 40 II J PEDAL MOUNTED SIGNAL LIGHTCROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This is a continuation ofapplication Ser. No. 771,475, filed Oct. 29, 1968, and now abandoned.

The present invention is an improvement on the devices disclosed in myprior US Pat. Nos. 2,493,491, 2,732,540, 2,732,541 and 2,767,391.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention is in the field of signallights attachable to bicycle pedals whereby to indicate to motorists, orothers, the presence of a bicycle on the road.

It has long been recognized that bicycles on a highway present a hazardto motorists and the bicyclist, particularly at night, and manyproposals have been presented heretofore for providing suitable signallights or reflectors on the bicycle so that its presence will be readilyperceived by motorists. My prior patents disclose devices for providinga signal light on the outer ends of the bicycle pedals to thus provide amoving light more readily perceptible at night and switch means to causethe lights to blink off and on as the bicycle is moving. In most priorart devices, however, battery-powered lights made it necessary toprovide housing space for the batteries and this was usuallyaccomplished by redesigning the entire bicycle pedal, making itnecessary to replace the entire pedal to install the lights.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention comprises a unitarycompletely contained accessory adapted to be mounted on a bicycle pedalby merely replacing the outer pedal plate with a translucent housingcontaining batteries, lights, and suitable switch means. Thus, theaccessory involves only the replacement of one small part of aconventional pedal and eliminates the necessity of replacing the entirepedal, which renders the improvement less expensive and available to agreater number of users. This not only reduces the cost of the accessorybut also facilitates its installation. The accessory is completelyhoused in a translucent plastic housing, preferably of a red color, andthe signal lights project part way through opposite ends of the housingso as to be supported thereby and to direct sharp beams forwardly andrearwardly of the bicycle while at the same time causing the entirehousing to glow to be clearly and readily visible from any direction.The arrangement is extremely compact and of such relatively small sizeas to keep the lateral projection from the pedal to a minimum, which isof importance when turning, and of such simplicity as to be easilyserviced and maintained by youthful users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation of abicycle equipped with the accessory of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of a bicycle pedal having the presentaccessory mounted thereon;

FIG. 3 is an end view of the pedal of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a side view of FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a somewhat enlarged view of the accessory with the casingcover removed showing the parts in one relative position;

FIG. 6 is a view similar to FIG. 5 but showing the parts in a differentposition and with certain parts modified;

FIG. 7 is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially along the line77 of FIG. 3; and

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along the line 8-8 of FIG. 6.

DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT FIG. 1' shows a conventionalbicycle 2 having the usual crank arms 4 on which conventional pedals 6are journalled. As is customary, the pedals 6 comprise a central tubularmember 8 (see FIG. 2) in which a crank pin or spindle 10 is journalledby means of bearings in the end portions 12 of member 8. At its innerend the pedal is provided with an end plate 14 to the ends of whichrubber tread members 16 are secured by bolts or the like 18. In aconventional bicycle pedal the bolts 18 extend outwardly through anotheror outer end plate (not shown) which may be substantially identical tothe end plate 14 already referred to.

The accessory of the present invention is completely self-containedwithin a casing 20. The casing 20 is provided with a back wall 22provided with a pair of openings, to be referred to later. To installthe accessory it is only necessary to remove the outer end plate of thebicycle pedal and replace the same with the casing 20, the rear wall ofwhich performs the functions of the replaced pedal end plate and thusfixedly supports the accessory on the outer end of the pedal. The casing20 is formed of separable portion 24 (serving as a cover) and a bodyportion 26 which defines end walls 28 and 30 and side walls 32.

Referring now to FIGS. 5 to 8, FIGS. 5 and 6 show the device mounted ona bicycle pedal with the cover 24 removed. Both portions 24 and 26 ofthe casing are preferably formed of a translucent plastic material andare further preferably tinted to be red in color.

As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the back wall 22 having the openingspreviously mentioned is mounted at the outer end of the bicycle pedal bymeans of the bolts 18 which are provided with suitable nuts 34 withinthe housing 20 to secure the same in the described mounted position. Aspacer 40 is secured within the housing by means of a screw 42. At itsouter end each post 40 defines a bearing portion on either one of whicha pendulous or gravity-actuated switch contact element 46 is journalledfor free swinging movement under the influence of gravity. The switchcontact 46 may be selectively positioned on either post 40. FIGS. 5 and6 illustrate the shape and nature of the element 46 in more detail. Theposts 40 are internally threaded and serve to secure the cover portion24 of the casing 20 in place, by means of screws 48, as seen in FIGS. 3and 7. Note that cover 24 is recessed in the outer open end of casing20, which arrangement enhances mechanical strength and provides aneffective weather seal. The screws 48 are removable to release the cover24 and to render the interior of the casing accessible. Within thehousing 20 and adjacent the side walls 32 is a pair of batteries or drycells 52, one adjacent each side wall. A spring 54 bears against thebase of each dry cell 52 and also bears against an adjacent post orspacer 40. As shown, each spring 54 is formed with retaining loopportion 55 embracing its associated post 40.

A removable assembly comprises a pair of conductor members 56 in theshape of Z-shaped brackets shaped for engagement with the centerterminal 60 of a respective one of the batteries 52. At their other endsthe brackets 56 support lamp socket shells 62 andare in electricalcontact therewith. The usual center contact of each socket is insulatedfrom its shell 62 and extends through the brackets 56 and throughinsulating spacers 64 into electrical engagement with a generally U-shaped resilient connector conductor 66 and to which they are secured.Thus, the brackets 56, sockets 62, spacers 64, and conductor 66constitute a single and separate assembly. Flashlight bulbs 68 arescrewed into the sockets 62 and are of the type provided .withlensdefining outer ends which ends extend through openings 70 in the endwalls 28 and 30 to removably support the assembly in the describedposition within the housing. As shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, the end walls 28and 30 of the casing 20 are provided with the openings 70 in thebottomsof dimples or depressions 72 formed in the casing. Thedepressions 72 serve to protect the ends of the bulbs and also functionas light reflectors.

It will be apparent that when the bulbs 68 are energized or lighted,they will project rather sharp light beams forwardly and rearwardly butat the same time light emanating from the sides of the bulbs will causethe entire casing to appear lighted and to glow to provide a large areaof red light visible from all lateral directions.

Fixed to the outer end of the spindle or crank pin (see FIG. 7) is a camcarrier member 74, secured to the end of the spindle 10 by means of athreaded connection (not shown) engaging the usual threaded end on theconventional spindle member. The cam carrier member 74 is provided withnonconductive cam projections 75 thereon. In FIG. 5, the member 74 isshown as being provided with four such projections whereas in FIG. 6, itis shown as being provided with only two. It is apparent, however, thatany desired number of projections may be provided or they may all beomitted if desired.

The gravity actuated switch contact element 46, previously referred to,extends from its mounting post 40 generally along a side wall of thecasing to a position somewhat past the axis of the cam member 74 and isswingable on its post toward or away from an edge portion of theconductive connector 66. Thus, a single switch contact element serves tocontrol both bulbs 68.

When the pedal is rotated on its spindle 10 to the position of FIG. 6,wherein the switch contact member 46 is near the bottom of the casing,gravity acts to swing that switch contact member downwardly out ofcontact with the connector conductor 66 and the bulbs 68 are thus notenergized since the circuits therethrough are open. Note that, due tothat eccentric weight provided by member 46, the pedal will swing toassume the position of FIG. 6, when released and free to swing onspindle 10. It isalso to be noted that portions of the circuits forenergizing the bulbs extend from the base of the batteries, to the posts40 and thence to the switch element 46. The central electrodes of thebatteries are electrically connected to the shells 52 of the lampsockets but the central contacts of the lamp sockets are connected onlyto the conductive connector 66. Thus, the circuits through the lampbulbs can be completed by engaging switch contact member 46 with theconductor 66 and can be broken by separating switch contact member 46from the conductor 66, as is the case in FIG. 6. Thus, the signal lightsremain unlighted as long as the bicycle is operated with the pedalturned to the position of FIG. 6.

To activate the signal lights, it is only necessary for the bicyclerider to turn the pedals over, about spindles 10, to the position ofFIG. 5 wherein the switch contact element 46 is uppermost and gravityurges the same to swing downwardly to the full line position of FIG. 5wherein the switch contact element electrically engages the connectorconductor 66 to complete circuits through the light bulbs. In thisposition, however, the lower edge of the switch contact element 46 is inthe path of rotary movement of cam projections 75. It will be obviousthat as the rider propels his bicycle along the road by rotating thecrank elements 4, there will be relative rotation between the camcarrier member 74 and the casing 20. This causes the cam projections 75to sequentially engage the switch contact member 46 and periodicallylift the same out of contact with conductor 66 and thereafter lower thesame to reestablish such contact. In this manner the bulbs 68 are causedto blink off and on at regular intervals as the bicycle progresses alongits path. In cases where the projections 75 are omitted, the lightsremain on constantly, without blinking, as is required in somecountries.

As best seen in FIG. 7, the cover is provided with a small screwextending therethrough and secured in place by a nut 82. The screw 80secures a resilient clip 84 to the inner face of the cover 24 inposition to make electrical contact with the connector conductor 66,previously described, when the cover is in place. This provides anelectrical connection to the central contact of the sockets 62 and whichconnection is accessible from the outside of casing 20 without openingthe same. As already described, the bases of the batteries 52 are inelectrical contact with posts 40 which in turn are electricallyconnected to the screws 42 and 48 which are externally accessible. Thus,any suitable battery recharging device may be connected to the bolt 80and to any accessible screw 42 or 48 for purpose of recharging thebatteries 52 without removing the same from the casing 20. With thearrangement shown, the bulbs 68 must bein place since their filamentsconstitute a portion of the battery recharging circuit. If desired, thespring clip 84 could be arranged to engage the'brackets 56 or'socketshells 62, instead of conductor 66, in which'case thebatteries could berecharged without going through bulbs 68.

When a bulb 68 must be replaced the cover can be removed and by flexingconnector 66 slightly the tips of bulbs 68 can be withdrawn inwardly andthe bulb and socket assembly removed from the housing. The batteries 52are held in position by suitable lugs (not shown) on the inner face ofthe cover 24.

As shown in FIG. 7, the back wall 22 of housing 20 is provided with athickened boss 86 arranged to receive and house bearing enlargement 12to provide an effective weather seal. The inner end of enlargement 12abuts lugs 88 formed integrally with housing 20.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that I have provided asignal light accessory that is simple and economical to produce, easilyinstalled, adding only a minimum length to a bicycle pedal, easilyserviced and maintained by youthful users and yet providing greatervisibility in all directions.

While a single specific embodiment of the invention has been shown anddescribed herein, the same is merely illustrative of the principlesinvolved and other embodiments may be resorted to within the scope ofthe appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A signal light accessory comprising: a housing of translucentmaterial having a back wall and opposed end walls and side walls; meansfor fixedly attaching said back wall to the outer end of a bicyclepedal; an opening in each of said end walls; a lamp socket in saidhousing adjacent each of said openings; a lamp bulb in each socket andpartially projecting through the adjacent opening; battery means in saidhousing; and circuit means for connecting said battery means to saidsockets, each of said sockets'comprising a shell portion electricallyconnected to one side of said battery means and a central contactinsulated from said shell, and said circuit means including: aconductive connector joining said central contacts of said sockets; anda gravity actuated switch means in said housing, comprising a singlecontact adapted to engage said conductive connector.

2. A signal light accessory as defined in claim 1 wherein said batterymeans comprises dry cells arranged along said side walls, said socketsand bulbs being centrally positioned in said housing between said drycells.

3. A signal light accessory as defined in claim 1, including conductormeans extending to the exterior of said housing and connected torespectively opposite sides of said battery means whereby said batterymeans may be recharged without opening said housing.

4. A signal light accessory as defined in claim 1 wherein said gravityactuated switch means is eccentrically positioned in said housing tothereby urge said housing to respond to gravity and assume a positionwith said switch means lowermost and said battery means and lamp bulbsdisconnected.

5. A signal light accessory as defined in claim 1 wherein the ends ofsaid bulbs extend into said openings in opposed end walls of saidhousing whereby said bulbs, sockets, and connector are supported in saidhousing solely by said openings.

6. A signal light accessory as defined in claim 1 wherein said back wallis formed to define a central relatively thick boss, and an openingthrough said boss adapted to sealingly embrace a supporting portion of abicycle pedal.

1. A signal light accessory comprising: a housing of translucentmaterial having a back wall and opposed end walls and side walls; meansfor fixedly attaching said back wall to the outer end of a bicyclepedal; an opening in each of said end walls; a lamp socket in saidhousing adjacent each of said openings; a lamp bulb in each socket andpartially projecting through the adjacent opening; battery means in saidhousing; and circuit means for connecting said battery means to saidsockets, each of said sockets comprising a shell portion electricallyconnected to one side of said battery means and a central contactinsulated from said shell, and said circuit means including: aconductive connector joining said central contacts of said sockets; anda gravity actuated switch means in said housing, comprising a singlecontact adapted to engage said conductive connector.
 2. A signal lightaccessory as defined in claim 1 wherein said battery means comprises drycells arranged along said side walls, said sockets and bulbs beingcentrally positioned in said housing between said dry cells.
 3. A signallight accessory as defined in claim 1 including conductor meansextending to the exterior of said housing and connected to respecTivelyopposite sides of said battery means whereby said battery means may berecharged without opening said housing.
 4. A signal light accessory asdefined in claim 1 wherein said gravity actuated switch means iseccentrically positioned in said housing to thereby urge said housing torespond to gravity and assume a position with said switch meanslowermost and said battery means and lamp bulbs disconnected.
 5. Asignal light accessory as defined in claim 1 wherein the ends of saidbulbs extend into said openings in opposed end walls of said housingwhereby said bulbs, sockets, and connector are supported in said housingsolely by said openings.
 6. A signal light accessory as defined in claim1 wherein said back wall is formed to define a central relatively thickboss, and an opening through said boss adapted to sealingly embrace asupporting portion of a bicycle pedal.